Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Clifton
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Weasel Brook Park (2.5 mi), Main Memorial Park (0.8 mi), Anzaldi Park (0.8 mi). 6.9 miles of mapped trail cross Clifton, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #377 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Clifton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Clifton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clifton is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #377 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
New Jersey towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 11%; the U.S., 4%), so Clifton’s 3% is ahead of 17% of New Jersey towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Weasel Brook Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Main Memorial Park
Hird Park
All 37 parks & preserves
243 conserved acres
3% of Clifton’s land. Who manages Clifton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athenia Steel Recreation Complex Local Park | Not recorded | 57 | Open |
| Getty Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Weasel Brook Park Local Recreation Area | County | 19 | Open |
| Garret Mountain Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Nash Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Albion Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Athenia Steel Rec Complex 1 Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Main Memorial Park North Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Holster Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Mount Prospect Park Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
18 places to go in Clifton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
7 lakes & rivers
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Clifton: April to June, August and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 77 | 66 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Clifton →
Clifton and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | 3% | 0.6 | 4 | 99%+ | B |
| Woodland Park | 11% | 3.6 | 23 | 99% | A+ |
| Garfield | 5% | 1.0 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Montclair State University | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Passaic | 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Little Falls Township | 2% | 1.0 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Montclair Township | 7% | 1.3 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Paterson | 5% | 0.5 | 2 | 97% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clifton
Where can I hike in Clifton?
The longest trail networks: Weasel Brook Park, 2.5 miles; Main Memorial Park, 0.8 miles; Anzaldi Park, 0.8 miles; Hird Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clifton is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 11% for a New Jersey town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Clifton’s trails?
Weasel Brook Park and Main Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Clifton?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes, 0.2 of off-road paths and 2.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Clifton?
34,657 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clifton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 315 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Clifton have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #377 of 468 in New Jersey. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Clifton neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →